Goodbyes

Shepard's empty coffin lay side by side with Thane's full one on a rocky shelf above the sea. The last rays of the setting sun picked out their names before they disappeared into the memory of the fading day.

The song of the Encompassing underlaid the sounds of the mourners as they made their way down the steep path from the edge of the cliff.

Long after night touched its gentle shadowy caress to the smooth edges of the crypt, a salty scented breeze originating from the purple depths of the wavering horizon blew across the tomb.

It twisted the long trailing banners into folded knots and scattered petals to dance through the velvet sky. It fluttered open the folded cards where those left behind had written their last thoughts, and left one lying open before the memorial as it soared toward the stars.

You did good, child.

A/N: **SPOILERS AHEAD**

So I originally wrote this story as a worst case scenario for Thane. Little did I know that I would be wrong and Bioware would do a much worse job. There's literally almost no reaction to Thane's death and...ugh yeah. Other than a few details, it's actually rather depressing how close I otherwise was to what really happened. Except with, you know, storytelling in it.

Sorry, bitterness over.

To fill in a few gaps, the idea of this story is that Thane dies shortly before the final mission before triggering the Crucible. Shepard and team actually took the Citadel relay in to Reaper darkspace, the "Crucible" is the Reaper command center, and Shepard is the "Catalyst." A living, sentient being with a unique blend of mental and physical abilities (augmentations, impants, experience, personality, and soul) to use the power the Reapers had stored and stolen, and use it to destroy her enemy.

I wanted to write this out, but I realized that adding chapters BEFORE the first one doesn't make a lot of sense :)

R&R would be appreciated. Please limit any reviews to the story-if you disagree with my viewpoints, feel free to send me a PM.